16 research outputs found
Management of Urinary Tract Infections: Problems and Possible Solutions
In clinically suspected urinary tract infections (UTIs), empirical antibiotic treatment is usually started long before the laboratory results of urine culture and antibiogram are available. Although molecular diagnostic approaches are being applied to the diagnosis of many infections, UTIs are generally diagnosed by traditional culture methods. Patient care could greatly benefit from the development of a rapid, accurate, inexpensive test that could be done at patient’s bedside, allowing the practitioner to plan targeted, more effective therapy. Such a test would potentially reduce incorrect or unnecessary use of antibacterial drugs and reduce the emergence of bacterial resistance. In response to this pressing and unmet clinical need, several methods have been developed in the last few years. Among these, the new point-of-care test (POCT) for detecting UTIs named Micro Biological Survey (MBS) UTI CHECK holds promise, as it allows semi-quantitative determination of bacterial load in urine leading to a fast detection of UTIs and to evaluation of bacterial antibiotic susceptibility. This new technology operates through a colorimetric survey performed in low-cost, ready-to-use, disposable vials, in which 1 ml of urine is inoculated without any preliminary treatment and requiring neither specialized personnel nor a specialized equipment
Plasma proteome profiling of healthy subjects undergoing bed rest reveals unloading-dependent changes linked to muscle atrophy
Inactivity and unloading induce skeletal muscle atrophy, loss of strength and detrimental metabolic effects. Bed rest is a model to study the impact of inactivity on the musculoskeletal system. It not only provides information for bed-ridden patients care, but it is also a ground-based spaceflight analogue used to mimic the challenges of long space missions for the human body. In both cases, it would be desirable to develop a panel of biomarkers to monitor muscle atrophy in a minimally invasive way at point of care to limit the onset of muscle loss in a personalized fashion
A new point-of-care test for the rapid antimicrobial susceptibility assessment of uropathogens.
Bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is considered a major issue worldwide. This condition may account for treatment failure of urinary tract infections, which are among the most common infections both in community and healthcare settings. Therapy against uropathogens is generally administered empirically, possibly leading to unsuccessful therapy, recurrence and development of antibiotic resistance. The reduction in analytical time to obtain antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results could play a key role in reducing the cost of healthcare, providing information about antibiotic efficacy and thus preventing from either exploiting new and expensive antibiotics unnecessarily or using obsolete and ineffective ones. A more rational choice among treatment options would hence lead to more effective treatment and faster resolution. In this paper we evaluated the performance of a new Point Of Care Test (POCT) for the rapid prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility in urine samples performed without the need of a laboratory or specialized technicians. 349 patients were enrolled in two open-label, monocentric, non-interventional clinical trials in partnership with an Emergency Medicine ward and the Day Hospital of two large healthcare facilities in Rome. Antibiogram was carried out on 97 patients. Results from analysis of urine samples
with the POCT were compared with those from routine AST performed on culture-positive samples, displaying high accuracy (>90%) for all tested antimicrobial drugs and yielding reliable results in less than 12 hours from urine collection thus reducing analytical and management costs
La sicurezza microbiologica degli alimenti
Una questione centrale per la tutela della salute umana e la protezione dagli agenti patogen
Microbiological Quality of Ready-to-Eat Leafy Green Salads during Shelf-Life and Home-Refrigeration
The market of ready-to-eat leafy green salads is experiencing a noticeable growth in Europe.
Since they are intended to be consumed without additional treatments, these ready-to-eat products are
associated with a high microbiological risk. The aim of this work was to evaluate the microbiological
quality and safety of ready-to-eat leafy green salads sold in widespread supermarket chains in Lazio,
Italy, on the packaging date during shelf-life and during home-refrigeration. The study also aimed
to determine the differences between low-, medium-, and high-cost products. Salmonella spp. and
L. monocytogenes were chosen as safety indicators as specified by European regulations while total
aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Escherichia coli were chosen as quality indicators as suggested by
national guidelines. Analyses were performed following the ISO standards and in parallel for the
evaluation of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, with an alternative colorimetric system, the Micro
Biological Survey method, in order to propose a simple, affordable and accurate alternative for testing
the microbiological quality of products, especially suitable for small and medium enterprises and
on-site analyses. The study revealed high, unsatisfactory, total bacterial loads in all analyzed samples
on the packaging date and expiry date and a very high prevalence of Salmonella spp. (67%) regardless
of the selected varieties and cost categories; L. monocytogenes was not recovered aligning with the
results obtained in other studies
Field application of the Micro Biological Survey method for the assessment of the microbiological safety of different water sources in Tanzania
Access to safe water is stated within
human rights as essential for life, as water
can be a source of severe enteric infections
threatening human health, in particular children from Developing Countries. Along
with reference methods, need is pressing for
alternative methods to flank reference ones
to improve water safety on-site monitoring
and in the absence of scientific facilities or
even electricity supply. The Micro
Biological Survey (MBS) method has
already been successfully applied to water
safety assessment in Developing Countries.
A total of 18 water samples were collected
from different sources (rivers, dug wells,
tap water) within the Rukwa Region,
Tanzania, and underwent analysis for Total
Coliforms following the MBS method.
Globally, rivers showed more frequently
contamination, followed by dug wells, tap
water and tanks. Results demonstrate the
need for continuous monitoring of water
sources, even in difficult frameworks lacking electric supply, to help improve control
over water quality, possibly using alternative methods to simplify existing protocol
A Simplified and Affordable Trend Analysis to Improve Microbiological Quality of Ready-to-Eat Food Products
“Ready-to-eat” is defined as the status of the food being ready for immediate consumption. For some ready-toeat foods, legal microbiological criteria exist, and in addition different national guidelines are available to complement
legally enforceable standards. Control charts are used to statistically study results of a manufacturing process over a
period of time with the aim to demonstrate if the process is under control. The current research examined the
microbiological quality of 177 ready-to-eat food samples in the catering cooperative group “La Cascina,” in Latium,
Italy, during a period of one year (2014–2015). Contamination trends were reported as individual control charts that
were used to identify out-of-control data, address appropriate corrective actions, and finally promote quality
improvements by setting customized dynamic control limits. Meals were individually analyzed using the alternative Micro
Biological Survey method, in parallel with the conventional plating method, in order to propose an efficient, simplified,
and suitable approach that could be useful for small industries to monitor constantly food quality
Field application of the micro biological survey method for the assessment of the microbiological safety of different water sources in horn of africa and the evaluation of the effectiveness of moringa oleifera in drinking water purification
Water monitoring requires expensive instrumentations and skilled technicians. In developing Countries as Africa, the severe economic restrictions and lack of technology make water safety monitoring approaches applied in developed Countries, still not sustainable. The need to develop new methods that are suitable, affordable, and sustainable in the African context is urgent. The simple, economic and rapid Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method does not require an equipped laboratory nor special instruments and skilled technicians, but it can be very useful for routine water analysis. The aim of this work was the application of the MBS method to evaluate the microbiological safety of different water sources and the effectiveness of different drinking water treatments in the Horn of Africa. The obtained results have proved that this method could be very helpful to monitor water safety before and after various purification treatments, with the aim to control waterborne diseases especially in developing Countries, whose population is the most exposed to these diseases. In addition, it has been proved that Moringa oleifera water treatment is ineffective in decreasing bacterial load of Eritrea water samples
Rapid Microbiological Assessment in Raw Milk: Validation of a Rapid Alternative Method for the Assessment of Microbiological Quality in Raw Milk
The consumption of dairy products and the dairy industry are one of the main global
agri-food sectors for its size, economic importance, and level of technology. Microbiological quality
of pasteurized milk or other milk products is dependent on microbiological quality of raw milk.
A variety of microbiological count methods is available for monitoring the hygienic quality of
raw milk. Among them, the pour plate method is the official essay for counting the number of
colony-forming units in milk samples according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
No. 4833-1:2013. The aim of the present study is the validation of the Micro Biological Survey (MBS)
method, against the reference plate-count method, for the assessment of the microbiological quality
of raw milk. This comparative study, performed in collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico
Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana M. Aleandri (IZSLT), demonstrates the accuracy of this
alternative method for the determination of total viable bacterial count in cow’s raw milk. The results
obtained with the MBS method highlight its potential as a valid tool for reliable microbiological
analysis in dairy industries
How to Warrant Microbiological Food Safety in Food Companies: Problems and a Possible Solution
Traditional methods for food microbiological analysis are mainly culture-based, but also combine biochemical,
molecular, and immunological principles in order to provide specific and unequivocal identification of contaminants.
They are considered as gold standards by international regulations and are the most popular and widely used. These
methods, however, received several criticisms, which led to the development of new alternative analytical methods. Their
main focus is to provide accurate and reliable results, also aiming to reduce the time of analysis and facilitate
procedures and interpretation of data. Despite these strengths, every method, both traditional and alternative, has
intrinsic weaknesses that may affect results and stem from various factors, such as specific food matrices’ characteristics,
operating procedures, and sample treatment. In this work, we review and compare the analytical performances of several
methods for microbiological analysis of food that are currently available on the market. We take into account their
relative features (e.g. user-friendliness, costs, reliability) in order to highlight which ones may fit best in daily monitoring
of food safety and quality. Among these alternative methods, the Micro Biological Survey (MBS) method is based on a
colorimetric system that can easily analyze liquids and solids via selective counting bacteria in food samples, allowing
even the smallest food companies to carry out all microbiological tests required by regulations “in house.